STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL
Re: Inquiry Concerning the Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability to All 
Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion, and Possible Steps to Accelerate Such 
Deployment Pursuant to Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as Amended by the 
Broadband Data Improvement Act, GN Docket No. 15-191.
This inquiry kicks off our annual examination of the state of broadband.  It’s important to chart 
our progress—because broadband is more than a technology, it’s a platform for opportunity.  Extending 
its reach across this country is our new manifest destiny, because it is an essential part of modern civic
and commercial life.  No matter who you are or where you live, you need access to modern 
communications if you want a fair shot at prosperity in the 21
st
century.  
With this in mind, we ask questions—lots and lots of questions.  We ask about deployment, 
adoption, speed, and demand.  We also inquire about challenges in rural areas and on Tribal lands, where 
too many residents for too long have been consigned to the wrong side of the digital divide.  In addition,
we seek comment on mobile broadband in light of new Form 477 data.  And while we keep in place our
current 25 Megabit standard for broadband, we also ask about faster speeds in the future.  I appreciate that 
we are forward-looking, because when we set big goals we can make big things happen.  I look forward 
to the record that develops.